The present invention relates to computer-based systems that provide navigation-related features and more particularly the present invention relates to providing a means that enables end users of computer-based systems that provide navigation-related features to exchange data that define routes.
Navigation systems are available that provide end users (such as drivers and passengers of the vehicles in which the in-vehicle navigation systems are installed) with various navigation-related functions and features. For example, some navigation systems are able to determine an optimum route to travel by roads between locations in a geographic region. Using input from the end user, and optionally from equipment that can determine one""s physical location (such as a GPS system), a navigation system can examine various routes between two locations and determine an optimum route to travel from a starting location to a destination location in a geographic region. The navigation system may then provide the end user with information about the optimum route in the form of guidance that identifies the driving maneuvers required to be taken by the end user to travel from the starting location to the destination location. The guidance may take the form of visual and/or audio instructions that are provided along the way as the end user is traveling the route. Some navigation systems are able to show detailed maps on computer displays outlining routes to destinations, the types of maneuvers to be taken at various locations along the routes, locations of certain types of features, and so on.
In order to provide these and other navigating functions, navigation systems use geographic data. The geographic data may be in the form of one or more databases that include data that represent physical features in a geographic region. The geographic database may include data representing the roads and intersections in a geographic region and also may include information relating to the represented roads and intersections in the geographic region, such as turn restrictions at intersections, speed limits along the roads, street names of the various roads, address ranges along the roads, and so on.
Although navigation systems provide many important features, there continues to be room for new features or other improvements. One area in which there is room for improvement relates to providing a way for end users to exchange routing data. As an example, a first person may know a particular route that he/she would like to share with another person. The first person may know that the particular route is faster or safer than other routes and the first person may want to share this information with one or more other persons. As an example, a business may want to provide customers with routing information to avoid a construction site. As another example, a business may want delivery trucks to follow a route to a particular entrance gate to avoid a school crossing. There are numerous other examples.
A person can provide written or oral directions for following a particular route to a destination. However, there are disadvantages associated with written or oral directions. One important consideration is that the person to whom the written or oral directions is given may be using a navigation system that is providing driving directions to the destination. These driving directions may be different from the oral or written driving directions for following the particular route. In these circumstances, it would be useful if the directions for following the particular route could be provided in a manner such that the navigation system of the person receiving the directions could incorporate the directions and provide directions for following the route.
To address these and other objectives, the present invention comprises a method and system that provides end users with the ability to exchange routing data. A route recorder application on a first computing system provides a first end user with the ability to define a route formed of specific road segments and store data that represent the route in a data file. The data file is distributed to a second end user who uses the data that represent the route in a second computing system to provide guidance for following the route.